


Reunion

by TheTacticianAlchemist



Series: Reunion [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Canon, Rating May Change, Reunions, Romance, Separations, The only change in canon is that Leo was able to separate everyone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-04-29 11:25:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14471673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTacticianAlchemist/pseuds/TheTacticianAlchemist
Summary: During the Inter-Dimensional War, the four worlds grew unstable, so much so that Akaba Reiji and LDS decide that, for the time being, the former counterparts are to be sent back to their homes, and there is to be no traveling between the dimensions.Before Yuto returns to Xyz, there's something he needs to tell Yuya. And Yuya misses his chance to reply.[original ideas from @blue-needle, used with permission]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> thank god for @blue-needle for sharing all her headcanons and art for this au with me and letting me write it, because holy shit, I fucking love this so much
> 
> like the tags say, everything in the show is canon except Leo was able to separate the counterpart boys and bracelet girls back into their own bodies. (Leo is then sent back to Fusion to atone for his war crimes and work toward the betterment of the four dimensions, but he's still a dick so I vote he never sees the actual light of day again but that's just me.)
> 
> I'll be making this multi-chaptered but I'm still debating between "chronological" and "inter-connected oneshots" but it'll probably be chronological

“By our calculations, the dimensional tunnels won’t remain open for much longer,” Reiji says, looking out at all the people gathered around him—the Lancers, the duelists from all other dimensions, the people who have worked long and hard for peace. Everyone is quiet, waiting on his every word, even Sawatari.

“As discussed, perhaps one day we will find a way to stably open the dimensional tunnels and establish links between our worlds,” he continues. “LDS is already working on this goal. There is no telling when that future will occur, however. Hopefully this past week has given all of you enough time to recover and decide upon where you will return to and what you will work to achieve. I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labor. But now is the time for final goodbyes. But you all must leave within the hour, or risk remaining stranded here in Standard.” He adjusts his glasses. “Now then…”

Everyone nods, and most clap at Reiji’s words before dispersing and mingling amongst each other, finding friends from across the dimensions. Crow puts out his fist to Shun, who returns the gesture, and Sawatari, a crying mess, latches onto Crow. Ruri and Rin find each other quickly, and so do Serena and Yuzu. Sora tugs at Edo’s jacket to tease him, and Gongenzaka drags him back with a half-disapproving, half-amused light in his eyes.

Yuya stares at it all, but doesn’t really _see_ it.

“Yuya!”

He barely manages to stay upright when Yugo barrels into him, giving him such a tight hug that he can barely breathe. Yugo’s even crying all over him.

Yuya smiles helplessly and wraps his arms around his Synchro counterpart—are they even counterparts anymore, when Zarc is gone and they’ve been separated? Regardless, he pats Yugo’s back. “I’ll miss you too, Yugo.”

Finally, Yugo pulls away a bit, but only to wipe at his eyes. “I just—I just started to really get to know ya, Yuya…” He sniffs, then slaps his palms over his cheeks and points right at Yuya’s chest. “That’s it! Next time I see you we’re going to have a riding duel, you and me! And Odd-Eyes Wing,” he adds with a wink.

“On what D-Wheel?” Yuri slides over, seemingly appearing from nowhere. He seems as sly as ever, but Yuya—so used to seeing such an expression in his own reflection—can see the nervousness in his eyes at being a part of such a crowd. “Didn’t you break it?”

Yugo scowls at him, but tries to feign it off. “I’ll build a newer and better one with Rin. If City really has gotten better, then it’ll be easy-peasy to make one for me _and_ for her.”

Yuri rolls his eyes. “Have fun with that.”

Yuya turns to Yugo. “I’ll be happy to have a riding duel with you,” he says. “Keep Clear Wing ready, okay?”

Yugo winks. “You don’t even have to ask!”

“You too, Yuri,” Yuya adds, and Yuri blinks his magenta eyes as Yuya meets his gaze. “I can’t wait to duel you and Starve Venom again, and Odd-Eyes Violet.”

“Me too!” Yugo says, and he even jumps and waves his fist. “I’ll win next time for sure, got it?!”

The smallest of genuine smiles appears on Yuri’s face before it turns into one of his trademark smirks. “You can try.”

With that, Yuri turns on his heel and walks right toward the dimensional tunnel that leads back to Fusion. Yuya hears a flurry of footsteps, and Serena stops long enough to give him a pat on the shoulder and a “Make sure you’re ready to lose when I see you again” before she hurries after Yuri. He visibly starts when she catches up to him, but they’re too far away for Yuya to make out what they say to each other.

“Yuto!” Yugo exclaims, and Yuya freezes up. Slowly, he turns around to find that Yugo’s latched himself onto Yuto.

“Hey,” Yugo says. “Sorry I, uh, y’know…”

“It’s not your fault, I’ve told you,” Yuto says, a bit exasperated, but he’s smiling as he pats Yugo’s hair. “I won’t lose the next time, I promise you that.”

“That’s what you think!”

“No, I’m serious.”

Yugo laughs as he detangles himself from Yuto. “Fine, fine. Whatever. I’m gonna go find Yuzu and say bye to her, ‘kay? Dark Rebellion better be ready when I see you.”

Yuto nods, and Yugo scampers off into the crowd, leaving him and Yuya alone.

In the past few days since Leo managed to separate them, whenever Yuya’s looked at Yuto, his chest has felt empty.

Yuya’s hand reaches instinctively up toward his heart, but he catches himself and grasps his pendulum to twirl it around in his fingers. “…Hey.” He plasters on a smile. “How’s it feel to be walking and talking again?”

Yuto pauses, his grey eyes seeming to stare straight into Yuya’s soul. That was the first question Yuya asked him after they were separated. But then, he nods, and his lips curl up slightly. “It still doesn’t feel quite real, to be honest.”

“Yeah,” Yuya says quietly. “It doesn’t.” In a way, it feels both _too good_ and _too awful_ to be true.

“Yuya, I…” Yuto starts, but then he pauses. His hand comes up to rest over his heart. “I’ll miss you.”

Tears well up in Yuya’s eyes. “I’ll miss you, too.”

Yuto takes a step closer, his brows furrowed. “Yuya, are you crying?” he asks quietly.

“N-no, just something in my eye.” He rubs at it, and with his free hand jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “I, uh, gotta go say bye to Shun and everyone.”

He scurries off, silently cursing himself and pretending he didn’t see the hurt in Yuto’s eyes.

Yuya plasters on his smile again, keeping it there and laughing even though there’s nothing he wants to do more than cling to these friends he’s made and refuse to let them go. But he can’t.

The time goes by far too quickly. Those going to Fusion leave first, although Sora stays behind (“Yuya and Yuzu are far more fun than anything on that boring island” he said, sticking out his tongue at Dennis). Then Yugo and Rin lead those from Synchro back home. Edo, the Tyler sisters, and other former-Academia members gather together to go to Heartland to start the restoration project. It’s a large number of people, and to avoid disrupting the dimensional tunnel too much, they travel in small groups.

Ruri gives Yuzu a hug, and then grabs Shun’s hand to gently pull him away from Sora and Reiji (Sora sticks his tongue out at Shun, and Shun looks half-amused and half like he wants to clobber him). She looks toward Yuto, who’s slowly coming toward them.

He stops and turns around, and he meets Yuya’s gaze.

Yuya freezes. He can only watch as Yuto comes closer to him, pulling a card out his deck. And then all of a sudden he’s right in front of Yuya, showing him Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon.

“I want you to keep this, Yuya,” he says quietly.

Yuya can feel the tears start to leak from his eyes, and the muscles in his face twitch as he tries to hold his smile. “B-but I gave all of you those cards…” He sniffs. “They keep us…”

“Together, I know.” Yuto smiles, just slightly. “How about I give you Rebellion, and you give me Raging? That way we always have something of each other’s.”

Yuya nods, unwilling to trust his voice. He pulls Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon from his deck with shaking fingers and holds it out. Yuto gives him his card, and then gently takes Raging into his hand. He smiles.

And then, Yuto wraps his arms around Yuya, holding him close and digging his fingers in his hair. Yuya can’t even think, much less move his hands to return the embrace.

“I love you, Yuya,” Yuto whispers. “I couldn’t leave without telling you that.”

Yuya’s mouth falls open, but no words come to his mind. He stares blankly as Yuto gently lets go and smiles, his expression warm and his grey eyes soft and wet.

Yuto takes a step back. “Goodbye, Yuya.”

He turns and walks away, joining Ruri and Shun. Yuya takes a stumbling step forward, clutching tightly onto Odd-Eyes Rebellion with his thumb and forefinger. But Yuto still keeps walking toward the dimensional tunnel, farther and farther away—

Yuto looks back one last time, his gaze meeting Yuya’s, and then he’s gone.

The strength leaves Yuya’s legs and he collapses onto his knees, and his tears finally come freely as he sobs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'll write this in chronological order," I say, and then proceed to write it....backwards, but only in the middle part. what.
> 
> enjoy~

**_Now_ **

Yuya’s smile is bright, and his ruby-red eyes shine. Yuto reaches out and cups his soft cheek, and Yuya leans into his touch. Yuto sighs and pulls him close into his chest, Yuya’s soft hair tickling his skin.

“I love you,” Yuto murmurs. “I love you so much.”

Yuya mutters something. Yuto laughs and taps his cheek. “What was that, Yuya?”

“I miss you.”

Yuto’s brows furrow, and he pulls back a little to look at Yuya’s face. But Yuya is looking down, his bangs hiding his eyes.

Yuto’s eyes widen. “Yuya…?”

Just when Yuya looks up, Yuto’s eyes blink open, and he finds himself in bed, his arms wrapped around his pillow. He lays there frozen for a moment, taking in the sunlight bleeding in through his curtains, and his bedside clock that reads 4:53AM.

Yuto’s fingers dig into the pillow, and he closes his eyes and pushes his face against the fabric, trying to find Yuya’s warmth, even if it isn’t real.

When Yuto can’t pretend anymore, he reaches for the duel disk on his nightstand. He taps the memo function, opens a new page for that day, and types out a sentence that he must have written out a thousand times by now:

_In my dreams, you never tell me you love me._

He knows that it’s not Yuya’s fault or anything. Most of his dreams that involve Yuya are wonderful, sometimes _incredibly_ so. When they shared a body, the two of them cared for and supported each other time after time, so it’s not that Yuya doesn’t love him in _some_ form. It’s not something Yuto feels negatively about, just…sad. Lonely.

Yuto gets out of bed and dresses himself. In the past six years he’s grown taller, especially since Heartland’s outlying farms started supplying fruits and vegetables again. With a good portion of the city finally up and running again, his clothes are in better shape, too—as Ruri teases him and Shun about a lot—and he likes to think he dresses more sharply than he used to. He still wears his wristbands, but his choker has been replaced with a necklace, its pendant resting close to his heart.

()()()

Yuya sighs happily, curling his arms around Yuto’s torso and pushing his face into Yuto’s chest. Yuto strokes his cheek, runs a hand through his hair, his whole body warm and soft against Yuya’s.

“I love you,” Yuto murmurs. “I love you so much.”

An overwhelming longing surges inside Yuya’s chest. His fingers dig into Yuto’s shirt, holding him close.

“I miss you,” he blurts.

Yuto stiffens, and Yuya holds even tighter onto him, afraid he’ll turn away and leave again.

_Stay. Stay. Please, don’t go._

Yuya looks up, opening his mouth, and he meets Yuto’s gaze—

And then he blinks open his eyes and groans, squinting against the light coming in through the window.

He rolls over, grabbing onto his blanket and pulling it close. It’s not enough.

“I love you, too,” he whispers, something he can never do in his dreams no matter how hard he tries.

He takes a breath and forces himself to roll out of bed. He was too tired the night before, so he picks up his duel disk and opens up the memo function and writes down his entry for yesterday:

_Yuzu’s finally going to become a teacher at the duel school, not just a temp! I was really tired when I came home last night and went straight to bed, so I’m writing this in the morning instead of at night. Whoops. Sora says she’s pretty much mastered Fusion summoning. I’m really proud of her. Her dad is too, he was crying when he told her. Still, I don’t know if she’s going to stay on forever. She told me she wants to be an entertainment duelist more back when we graduated, but because the school’s gotten so busy, she’s decided to help out her dad. But I think she can do both, don’t you think?_

Yuya pauses in his typing on his duel disk. What else happened the previous day? He doesn’t have the best memory for detail, so he’s already forgotten a bunch, just the important things. But there was something else, right…?

_Oh! Reiji called me and said he has something to talk to me about. If it’s nothing ~top secret~ I’ll let you know._

_I love you._

* * *

**_One Year Ago_ **

Yuzu smiles, her bright pink-and-white kimono making her seem even brighter than usual. “Yuya,” she says, grabbing his hand with hers. “We did it!”

He grins back, but before he can say anything, Sawatari—dressed in an expensive suit—pretty much slams into them. “We graduated!” he exclaims, his arms around their shoulders. “Congratulations to all of us for making this long and difficult journey together!”

Gongenzaka puts a hand on Sawatari’s shoulder to try and rein him in. “Come on, Sawatari, calm down,” he says, but as soon as Sawatari takes a step back, Gongenzaka scoops up Yuya and squeezes the life out of him.

“Yuya!” he cries. “I’m so proud of you!”

“I’m—” Yuya gasps, finagling his hand to pat Gongenzaka’s arm. “—proud of you, too—!”

“Don’t suffocate him,” Yuzu laughs, playfully hitting Gongenzaka’s side, but then he pulls her in, too.

They eventually disentangle, and then after everyone catches their breath, they mingle around the schoolyard, talking to other graduates and figuring out where everyone plans to go. The April sun beats down on them—nothing like the summer, but still hot—and Yuya can feel the sweat pooling out of every pore in his body.

But there are pictures to take and parents to hug and goodbyes to make, too. It’s all a blur to Yuya, and before he realizes it, he and Yuzu are walking home, the setting sun streaking the sky with pinks and purples and lavenders.

Yuya finds himself staring at the sky as they walk along the riverbank. He pulls out his pendant from under his dress shirt and plays with it, twirling it between his fingers.

“Yuya?” Yuzu says, and Yuya starts back to the present.

He rubs the back of his neck. “Er, sorry, Yuzu. I was spacing out.”

She giggles, then pats his arm. “It’s okay. You were thinking about Yuto, weren’t you?”

It’s not a surprise that she sees right through him. Since Yuto left and the dimensional tunnels were closed, he’s confided in her more than anyone else about his feelings for the other boy. He wonders sometimes if he ever bothers her with how much he misses Yuto, and he’s careful not to mention him during times when Yuzu is busy. However, she’s only ever been kind and understanding to him, and oftentimes in return he’s been a willing ear for her problems, too—it’s the least he can do.

“Yeah,” he says. “I would’ve liked for him to come.”

“He would’ve been very proud of you, Yuya.”

Tears prick at the corners of his eyes, and he looks away. “Yuzu… Do you think he still…?” He can’t get the words out, and he swallows a lump in his throat. “It’s just that—it’s been five years, now… Ugh, sorry, Yuzu, I—”

“Stop apologizing!” she snaps, and out of nowhere, she produces a fan to smack him over the head with.

He stumbles to the ground, holding his temple and reaching out a hand for mercy. “What was that for?!”

“You always apologize to me when you start to talk about Yuto. I’m tired of it,” she says, hands on her hips. She leans over and wags a finger at him. “Don’t be sorry for the way you feel.”

“O-okay,” he says, and she smiles and crouches down, although she’s careful not to touch her kimono to the ground.

“Yuya,” she says. “Are you worried that Yuto’s found someone else?”

He bites his lip and nods.

Yuzu sighs and pulls out her fan again, but this time, she only lightly taps it against his forehead. “He said he loves you. _Yuto_ said that. Even if it _has_ been five years, I don’t think he’d find someone else.”

“What if he’s lonely?” Yuya says quietly.

“Have _you_ ever wanted to ‘find someone else’?” Yuzu asks.

He pulls at a tuft of grass. “It’s crossed my mind, when I see people we know getting boyfriends and girlfriends. But it doesn’t feel right, not at all.” He pauses. “I want him to be happy, but I really want him to be happy with _me_.”

“Then maybe he feels the same.”

There’s a long moment, and Yuya looks back up at the sky.

“I wonder if they’ve got schools going again,” he says. “I want to see him graduate, too.”

She takes the topic change in stride. “Well, even if you can’t, I’m sure just as many pictures will be taken of him as there were taken of _you_ today.”

That makes Yuya laugh a little. “Yeah, I bet Ruri wouldn’t let that opportunity go by.”

“No, I’m sure she wouldn’t.” Yuzu reaches out and gives Yuya’s hand a squeeze. “You’ll see Yuto again soon, I can feel it.”

()()()

It’s getting late, dusk setting on the park. Yuto sits in one of the seats fanning out from the stage area, and the spring breeze ruffles through his hair and whistles through the newborn leaves on the trees. He holds Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon in his fingers, smiling softly at it.

“What are you doing out here?”

He looks up to find Ruri standing just a few feet away, resting her hands behind her back. He smiles at her, and she takes the cue to sit beside him.

“Just relaxing a bit before going home,” Yuto answers, sliding the card back into his deck.

Ruri smiles knowingly and sits down beside him. “You don’t want to eat too late, you know.”

“I have some leftovers, so I won’t have to make anything. I’ve been practicing with the recipes you gave me. I’ll cook something up for you and Shun next week.”

“Good. I’m looking forward to it.”

They fall into a comfortable silence, and Yuto leans back, taking in the view. Sometimes, when he’s here, he really feels like he’s back in Standard, in the place where he first met Yuya. Like he’ll turn around and see him again.

“I was surprised how many people came here for the park opening last month,” Ruri says. “They really seemed to like our duel.”

Yuto smiles. “I didn’t even expect a quarter of these seats to be filled. We had over half of them.” _Yuya would’ve been able to pull in a full crowd_ , he thinks, and he feels a pang in his heart.

“There are still a lot of people afraid of duels,” Ruri agrees quietly. “Though I can tell we’re changing that, slowly but surely. The new duel school doesn’t have that many applicants right now, but Heartland is still healing. We’ll have more soon.”

Her determination makes Yuto grin, and he gently elbows her in the side. “I’m proud of you, Ruri. That duel school is going to do great things.”

She laughs. “I’m proud of you, too. This park is amazing. You poured your soul into it.” When Yuto flushes a little at the compliment, she adds, “I’m sure Yuya would love this place.”

“I hope so,” he says, leaning back and looking up at the sky. His blush suddenly grows deeper. “I hope he doesn’t mind the name.”

Ruri laughs. “Don’t you think he’d like it?”

“I don’t know.” He closes his eyes, and Yuya’s smiling, cheerful face appears in his mind. “I just want this to be a place where people can relax. Spend time with their families or the people they love.”

She pokes his arm. “You can do that, when Yuya comes.”

Yuto startles, going completely red. “N-no. no, I’m sure Yuya’s found someone else by now,” he stammers. “I just—Yuya did so much for Heartland even though he was only here a short time, and—”

“Yuto,” Ruri says, cutting him off. “What’s the point in trying to convince _me_ that you’re not still in love with Yuya?”

“That’s not it,” he argues weakly.

She puts a hand on his shoulder. “There’s no way to know that he’s with someone else, you know.”

Yuto shifts his weight. “…He didn’t say anything back to me. He probably didn’t feel that way about me in the first place.”

“Yuto!”

“Ruri,” he starts, but she puts her hand over his mouth, then moves his head so that he has no choice but to look into her eyes.

“Anyone could see that Yuya cared about you,” she says. “You don’t know what he was thinking when you left. I don’t want you think about the ‘what-ifs,’ okay? I don’t want you worrying about things that might not even be true. You worry too much as it is.”

Slowly, Ruri pulls her hand back, and Yuto holds her gaze for a long moment before he sighs.

“Whatever the case may be, I just want him to be happy,” he says. “Even without me.”

Yuto stands and gestures to Ruri. “Come on, it’s getting late. I’ll walk you back home.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, I hope I got Mieru's characterization right ;;
> 
> why are my chapters so Yuya-heavy
> 
> I headcanon post-canon Reira as nonbinary, but because they're so young and maybe doesn't understand the gender spectrum, I'm using female pronouns for them in the story

**_Now_ **

Yuto, as always, arrives early for the weekly restoration council meeting. He goes over his notes from the last time and jots down a few questions on a clean piece of paper. A lot of Heartland’s infrastructure has been rebuilt; however, the zones lying at the east and south of the city have yet to be addressed, other than cleanup.

He pulls out a map of those areas as they stand currently. It’s been cross-referenced with old maps and labeled with tiny text, showing what the now-ruined buildings used to be—it’s impossible to tell where anything was otherwise. Still, he looks closely at one of the areas, and his brows furrow together.

Shun comes into the room, and Yuto puts down his papers, trying discretely to cover up the map. Shun sits down beside him and raises an eyebrow, his sharp eyes catching the movement.

“Morning, Shun,” Yuto says.

“You’ve got bags under your eyes,” Shun notes with a frown.

“What else is new?”

“More than usual, I mean. You haven’t looked this tired since you were working on the park.”

“I’ve just been preparing a project proposal.” He doesn’t add that, more often than not as of late, his dreams about Yuya are causing him to wake up at random times during the night. That’s hardly anything new, but they’ve increased in number.

Shun looks pointedly at Yuto’s papers. “A new project? I told you last time to let me in early on it before you share your idea with the rest of the class,” Shun says sarcastically. Despite being a council member, is notorious for complaining about how much time it takes up when he could be out there working.

Yuto shifts awkwardly in his seat. “…I’m not done just yet. But I’m going to ask today about it, to make sure no one else gets that sector.”

“…Is it in Zone T?”

Yuto pauses. “You remember where it was?”

“Of course I do. It’s where you grew up, Yuto.”

Yuto sighs. “I still need to find people to work it once it’s done. I can rebuild the orphanage, but I sure as hell can’t run it.”

Shun puts a hand on Yuto’s shoulder. There’s a rare smile on his face. “I’ll help you. The housing project in my sector is almost done. I’ll work under you when it’s finished.”

Yuto smiles. “Thanks, Shun. It means a lot.”

“You’re welcome. But there’s a condition: You make sure that you get plenty of rest. We’re not going to let you overwork yourself again.”

()()()

Yuya’s apartment is a tiny little thing—basically a bathroom, toilet, a single room that serves as both kitchen and living room, and finally, a bedroom. He hates how cramped it is, but it’s what he can afford as a starting pro-duelist despite his fame. He still saves a lot of money by eating at his parents’ place, though. Sora doesn’t usually eat _everything_.

He leaves around midmorning, locking the door behind him before tucking the key into his pocket. He whistles as he trots down the stairs to the street below. It’s another beautiful spring day, the clear skies blue and warm. It wasn’t that long ago that sakura were just beginning to bloom, but now the petals blow around in the air, some even catching in his hair. He makes a mental note to write to Yuto about how pretty they are.

His apartment isn’t too far from the You Show Duel School. The building has expanded a lot—there are more floors, and more room in the back, too. It’s still as lopsided and odd-looking as ever, though. For the first two or three years after the war, when his father came back to teach, students flocked to the institution, and Shuzo had no choice but to expand. Yuya spent a ridiculous amount of his high school afternoons assisting with the classes as much as he was asked to put on performance duels with Sora and Yuzu—sometimes with his father, too.

“Hi, Yuya,” Yuzu says as Yuya comes into the lobby. She’s sitting at the front desk, typing something into the computer. Distractedly, she pushes one long pigtail behind her shoulder and adjusts one of the multicolored barrettes Yuya got her for her birthday one year.

“Hey,” Yuya says, changing his shoes into the entryway before fully coming inside. “Where’s Sora?”

“I can tell you what he _should_ be doing,” Yuzu grumbles, frowning at the computer screen. She seems to realize herself and turns to Yuya, fully acknowledging him. “Sorry. I was just going over lesson plans…”

Yuya grins and waves his hand. “Don’t worry. Today’s your first day, right? You can get back to work if you need to.”

Yuzu smiles, but Yuya can see the strain in it. Instantly, he comes to her side and wraps his arms around her shoulders, and she leans into him.

“Just take a deep breath, ‘kay?” Yuya says. “You’ll be fine.”

She pulls away and rolls her eyes, but does just that. Then, she slaps her cheeks. “Okay! I can do it!”

Yuya grins. “That’s it, Yuzu! You’ve got this.”

“Thanks, Yuya. Oh,” she says, and she lightly slaps his arm. “What are you doing here? I thought you said Reiji wanted to see you today.”

“Yeah…” Yuya checks the clock on the wall. “I figured I’d have lunch here if you guys weren’t busy…”

Yuzu shakes her head. “The new semester starts today for all the dueling schools. I’m sure you could get Yusho to join you, but Dad wouldn’t be happy with him, you know?”

“Yeah…” Yuya rubs the back of his neck. “You’re right.”

“What’s this about lunch?” Sora asks, coming into the room. He’s finally grown taller than Yuzu, but just by a centimeter. As always, he wears a playful grin.

“Sora,” Yuzu says, and Yuya has to suppress a shudder at how much she sounds like his mom. “You can’t. You still have to print all the pamphlets and worksheets!”

“Aw,” he pouts. “But Yuzuuuu!”

“ _No_ , Sora.” She glares at him. “I mean it.”

He sighs and puts his hands behind his head. “Sorry, Yuya.”

Yuya shifts. “Are you guys sure you don’t need help?”

Yuzu stands and pushes Yuya toward the front door. “Sorry, but I’ll get a lot more done without distractions!”

“I guess you have a point,” Yuya mumbles. He considers calling Gongenzaka, but his best friend has been undergoing special training since the start of the year, and Yuya would hate to disturb him. “I’ll get going to LDS, then.”

“LDS?” Sora echoes, but now Yuzu’s turned her fan on him, and he scurries out of sight, calling a “Goodbye, Yuya!” over his shoulder.

Yuya laughs, but hurries all the same to put his shoes back on. “Good luck, Yuzu. Not that you’ll need it.”

“Thanks, Yuya!” she calls, but she’s still chasing Sora. Yuya chuckles, then goes on his way.

About an hour and one bus ride later, he’s up in the Akaba family home, which takes up two whole floors of the LDS tower, if not more. Reira’s beaming up at him, her bright blue eyes alight. “Yuya-nii, look!” she says, and she turns around to show him her shiny red backpack. “Onii-chan bought me this!”

Yuya grins and leans down to pat her hair. “Reiji-nii-chan sure has good taste,” he says, laughing. It’s the same red as Reiji’s scarf. “You’re starting school this year, right?”

She nods. “And LDS, too!” She checks the comically large watch on her tiny wrist and gasps. “I have to go! Bye, Yuya-nii!” she says, giving him a quick hug before she darts over to grab her mother’s hand. Himika smiles and nods to Yuya before she leads her daughter to the elevator in the hallway. Yuya wonders why little Reira has to hurry when she lives in the building, but regardless, her antics make him laugh. In some ways she’s so much like she used to be, but so much calmer and happier in general, and it puts his heart at ease.

He stands up straight and stretches, and the guard who brought him up to the Akaba penthouse clears his throat. “This way, Sakaki Yuya.”

Yuya resists the urge to roll his eyes—it’s not like he hasn’t been here before—but silently follows the bodyguard through the spacious sitting room to the eastern part of the floor, where Reiji and Himika have their private offices. The bodyguard knocks on a door, and when a reply comes from within, he gestures for Yuya to enter.

The office isn’t particularly large, but it always feels so. Like everything else in LDS, it’s spacious. One whole wall is made up entirely of windows, and other than the chairs, most of all the furniture is made of glass.

Reiji is standing behind his desk, looking out the window. He turns around and nods. “Yuya, welcome.” As always, even when being friendly, he sounds a bit detached. “Come in.”

“Hey, Reiji.” When Yuya comes into the room, Reiji waves his hand, and the bodyguard leaves, shutting the door behind himself. Yuya raises an eyebrow. “Still got your guard dogs everywhere, huh?”

Reiji lets out a small huff, which some who know him would consider a laugh. “Have a seat, Yuya. I have a very important matter to discuss with you.”

“Yeah?” Yuya grins, coming to stand in front of the chair. “Lemme guess: It’s a surprise party. Yuzu and Sora were both really busy, and Gongenzaka’s been out of the city for a while. Only thing is that it’s not my birthday.”

Reiji lifts an eyebrow. “What are you going on about?” he asks, taking a seat. “I haven’t spoken to Hiiragi Yuzu in several weeks.”

Yuya shrugs and plops down in his chair. “It’s just that the tournaments won’t be going on for a while. You don’t really invite me over for the hell of it.”

Reiji leans on his elbows and laces his fingers together. “You have a point, Yuya. This is a far more important matter.”

Yuya pauses, an idea, a bit of _hope_ , taking form in his mind, but he immediately shakes his head to try to make it go away. “What is it?”

“I’ll put it bluntly,” Reiji says. “Dimensional travel seems to finally be possible again. I want you to test it out.”

* * *

**_  
Three Years Ago_ **

“Mieru, hold on,” Yuya stutters. “When did I ever say anything about a date…?”

“Trust me, my prince,” Mieru says, lifting her nose in the air. She’s clinging to his arm, her chest pressing against him—she’s grown in _several_ ways during the past three years—and he flushes, shifting his weight back and forth.

He and Sora were on their way home after school, taking a bit more of a roundabout way by the riverbank to stop by Sora’s favorite candy store. And, lo and behold, Mieru caught them—well, caught _Yuya_ , anyway.

“It’s written in your future. I’ve checked it,” Mieru says. “An unforgettable performance, then a date in the park, ending with a sunset stroll with your love on the way back home. It’s perfect.”

“Mieru,” Yuya tries again, attempting to pull his arm away from her, but she has an iron grip. “I really, uh…”

“Hey, Mieru-chan,” Sora says, licking on a lollipop. He has his schoolbag slung over one shoulder, and he slouches just a bit. He pouts. “Why don’t you ever ask _me_ out on a date?”

Yuya holds back a groan—Sora’s prodding never helps, regardless of whether or not he’s being serious.

Mieru gives Sora the stink-eye. “Why would I ever do that? Especially when I have my _darling_!” she sings, rubbing her cheek against Yuya’s shoulder.

Yuya takes a breath. He wishes he weren’t used to this. “Mieru, seriously. I’m not going to go on a date with you.”

“Nonsense!” Mieru cries, pouting. “April Twenty-sixth: Sakaki Yuya holds one of the greatest performances of his life and goes on a romantic—”

“—walk in the park, ending with a sunset stroll,” Sora echoes, rolling his eyes and earning a glare from Mieru. “Come on, Mieru-chan. Hasn’t Yuya told you that he has someone he likes already?”

“He has,” Mieru says dismissively. “But that doesn’t mean I should give up! Who knows when Yuya will be able to see him again? Years and years, most likely.”

Ice forms in Yuya’s veins, and his stomach lurches. “Mieru, stop,” he murmurs, but he’s too quiet, and Mieru goes on:

“I’ve tried to divine when the dimensions will open up again, but it’s impossible to see,” she scoffs. “Honestly, Yuya, you should just give up and get on with your life—”

Sora’s teeth snap through his lollipop, and he stomps forward. “What is _wrong_ with you?!” he yells, grabbing Yuya’s arm and Mieru’s shoulder to wrench them apart. Mieru stumbles and freezes, blinking her big eyes, and Sora scowls at her before dragging Yuya away.

“What was she thinking?!” Sora fumes. His grip on Yuya is tight. “I can’t believe her. Shishou, has she said anything like this to you before?”

“Not like that,” Yuya says absently, staring right ahead. Sora stops suddenly, whipping around, and Yuya runs into him.

“What else has she said to you?”

“Just…”

Yuya blinks, and Yuto’s face appears in his mind’s eye. Smiling, hand outstretched. His body warm and soft as he hugs Yuya for what could be the last time.

“…Yuya?” Sora says.

Slowly, Yuya turns his head back towards the path. Mieru stands stock still, arms at her sides. Her face is frozen in an expression that Yuya understands all too well.

Sora tugs on his arm. “Yuya, come on.”

Yuya looks back and gives Sora a small smile. “Thanks for sticking up for me, Sora. But give me a minute.”

Sora blinks in confusion, but lets go of Yuya’s wrist. Yuya gives him a brighter smile, and then walks back.

“Mieru,” he says, and he has to repeat himself a couple times before she registers that he’s there.

“Yuya.” She blinks up at him. “Did I really…?”

He nods. “You shouldn’t have said that, Mieru.”

“…I’m sorry,” she says at last, and then her mouth hangs open uselessly, like there was something she wanted to say but forgot. Her hands curl into fists, and she holds them in front of her chest. “I just—I really don’t understand, Yuya. Am I—am I not enough?” She sniffs. “Do you—do you not like girls at all?”

Yuya sighs. “It’s not that I don’t like girls, Mieru,” he says quietly. “You’re a good person. I’m just never going to like you back... I’m sorry. I like Yuto, and that’s never going to change.”

Mieru bites her lip, and tears appear in her eyes. “…Oh.”

“You’ll find someone who will love you back one day,” Yuya continues. He pauses, putting a hand over his heart. “I already found that person, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. Even if it takes years for me to see him again… even if I can never see him again… I couldn’t bear to give up on him.”

She stares at him, and wipes at her eye with her palm.

He takes a breath, and his fingers dig into his shirt, his pendulum pressing against his palm. “I would wait for Yuto forever if I had to. He did so much for me, and I… I have faith that I’ll see him again. As much as he gave to me, I want to give back to him and more. I want to see him smile again. I… love him. I care about you, Mieru, but not the way you care about me.”

Yuya reaches out to pat the top of Mieru’s curly hair. “I’m sorry if I didn’t explain that very well. But I hope you’ll understand someday soon.”

Mieru nods, sniffing. “I… think I get it.” She sniffs again. “I’m sorry, Yuya.”

“…Thank you.” Yuya smiles at her. “I’ll see you later, Mieru. Don’t be afraid to hang out with us.”

She nods again, then turns away, rubbing her eyes and walking away swiftly. Yuya watches her go, his hands in his pockets and his head tilted in thought. He honestly can’t tell if he did the right thing or not.

He walks back to Sora, who’s frowning, eyebrow raised and his arms crossed.

“Some speech,” he says. He glances toward where Mieru disappeared before turning around and motioning for Yuya to walk beside him. “You’re too nice to people—did you know that?”

Yuya just laughs, scratching the back of his neck. “I really don’t know if I was… But I couldn’t have been as harsh as you.”

“I was just trying to protect you!”

“Thanks for that.” Yuya smiles. “You’re the best apprentice a guy could have.”

“…Thanks, Shishou.”

Yuya doesn’t see Mieru for almost a week, but it’s the day before she shows up again, a smile on her face and a new spring in her step, that he gets an anonymous letter that can’t be from anyone but her:

_You have a bright future, Sakaki Yuya. Enjoy it._

()()()

“Sakaki Park…” Shun lifts an eyebrow, but doesn’t look up from the blueprints that Yuto’s been spending weeks on. “Quite the name.”

Yuto shifts his weight in his seat. “Yuya did so much for us,” he says. “Even though he wasn’t in Heartland for very long.”

Shun nods. “I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve it. He’s a hero, after all. And these plans look good, by the way. The park will be great.” He pulls out one of the papers and holds it up to point out to Yuto. “The stage area will be good, too. You have a good idea, making it out of the crater from that explosion.”

“Thanks,” Yuto says. He pauses. “What’s the ‘but,’ though?”

Shun frowns, and he stares at Yuto for a moment, seeming to consider his words. He looks Yuto in the eyes, and then: “I just don’t want you to work so hard for something, only to be disappointed.”

Yuto’s blood runs cold, remembering how—through Yuya’s eyes—he saw how devastated Shun became when it seemed that he and Ruri were gone. How he didn’t even want to see Yuya ever again, how he was so full of hurt and rage. Yuto reaches out and grasps Shun’s arm, giving him a smile that he hopes is worthy of one of Yuya’s.

“What would I be disappointed about? Never being able to see Yuya again?” Yuto pauses, resisting the urge to pull out his locket and play with it in his fingers, like he does constantly when he’s home alone or lost in thought. “This park isn’t just for me to feel closer to him—it’s to thank him. I’m not trying to…to use this to find him, or to impress him if he does come back.”

Shun crosses his arms—Yuto’s forced to let go—and leans back in his chair. “Saying that and meaning that are two different things, Yuto. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“I know, Shun, and I appreciate it. But don’t worry about me.”

“If Ruri and I don’t worry about you, you’ll end up someone’s lunch,” Shun says, and that makes Yuto laugh—it’s something he and Ruri have said to him time and time again.

“I promise I won’t overwork myself,” Yuto says. He doesn’t know yet that it’s a lie. “My new place isn’t far at all from where the park will be, too. Not too much of a commute. That should help.”

Shun nods, but Yuto can tell what he’s thinking: It would have been better for Yuto to have stayed with him and Ruri.

Yuto smiles. “Hey, do you want me to come over and help make dinner? Ruri still needs to help me learn how to make the perfect gyudon.”

It’s the least he can do, but it still coaxes a smile out of Shun—just a small one. “That sounds good. Come on,” he says, standing up. “Let’s go.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @nierza pointed out that the perfect song for this fic is A Thousand Miles, and I have to agree
> 
> I realized I had Reiji call the Pendulum dimension "Standard" in the first chapter but....whatever, honestly

**_Now_ **

Yuto puts down his pencil and leans back in the café chair. He lets out a sigh, takes a sip from his coffee cup. Then he sets down the mug and stares at his drafts. All seven unfinished ones.

He sighs again and leans on the table, resting his head on his arms. When he was working on the park, ideas flowed into his head constantly. There was no end to it—even now he thinks about how he could improve some areas. But nothing is coming to mind for the orphanage. Edo and Kaito gave him free reign to work on it, so long as he’s able to provide plans by the end of the month.

But he’s stuck.

After a few moments, Yuto lifts his head. He’s sitting in the back corner of the semi-lit café, out of sight from most of the other customers. He pulls out his duel disk and his deck quietly—although Yuya helped bring the love of dueling back to the people of Heartland as a whole, there are still plenty of people who are scarred by the memories of the war. He doesn’t want to upset anyone if they happen to look over and see him.

First, Yuto methodically goes through his deck. It’s calming, seeing the cards he’s dueled with for so long. He slows when he gets to Dark Rebellion and Odd-Eyes Raging, setting them in front of him. He smiles softly at them for a moment, lost in memories, and then picks up his duel disk and opens the memo function.

_I still can’t decide what to do for the orphanage. I don’t really know what the difference is. I mean, I had so many ideas for the park. But I guess it’s okay. I’ll figure something out. There’s still a couple weeks till the end of the month._

_Looking at Raging helps calm me. Funny, right? But I’ve told you that before. I keep hoping I’ll get a bunch of inspiration looking at it. It_ is _your card. Maybe I’ll keep it out when I work. I promise I won’t work too hard._

_I feel closer to you when I have it out. I miss you._

Yuto locks the screen and puts aside the duel disk. He stretches his arms, then grabs his pencil again. He reaches for a blueprint—

—and Odd-Eyes Raging starts to glow.

The pencil falls out of his fingers. Yuto stares at the card for a moment, blinking, his mouth falling open. With shaking hands, he picks it up, holding it close. It feels almost warm, just like the last time.

“What’s going on?” he whispers. “What is it, Yuya?”

()()()

Yuya launches to his feet. “What do you mean?!”

“Exactly what I said,” Reiji explains calmly. “I have had employees test out both jumping dimensions and walking through an artificially-created dimensional tunnel. With ordinary people, there have been no adverse effects to the dimensions. We would like to move up the testing by sending you—”

“Are you kidding me?” Yuya blurts.

Reiji blinks once, twice. “No, Yuya. I am not joking.”

Yuya stares at him, then turns and walks toward the door. He stops. Then he turns around again, coming back. He runs a hand through his bangs, then drops back into the chair. “You’re serious.” He closes his eyes.

Reiji lifts an eyebrow, as if expecting Yuya to continue. When he doesn’t, Reiji goes on. “We have always been monitoring the state of the dimensions. There were fluctuations between all of them until about three years ago, perhaps four. Standard—or Pendulum, as it also became—and Xyz were the first to become stable, and they have maintained that link.

“Synchro was next, and then Fusion only a year and a half ago. We waited awhile, monitoring, and then began the trials I mentioned earlier. But now, I want to test its limits. If you are successful, I will ask Hiiragi Yuzu to help as well. As she was one part of Ray, who separated the original world in the first place, she should prove to hold the most risk of causing another imbalance between the dimensions.”

Yuya nods, but honestly, he’s struggling to absorb the dense information. Even more, his mind keeps jumping to Yuto. _Is he okay? What’s he been doing? Does he miss me as much as I miss him?_

“What about Yuto? And the others,” he adds quickly. “Do they know?”

“They should not,” Reiji says. “As you were Zarc’s main counterpart, any imbalances are theorized to be most apparent when _you_ travel dimensions rather than Yugo, Yuri, and Yuto. Furthermore…” A small smile turns up the corner of his lips. “It’s easier to control one of you than all of you.”

“Ha, ha,” Yuya says, crossing his arms. Then he uncrosses them, grasping the fabric of his pants. “Do I just…jump there and back? Or…”

Reiji’s smile grows just slightly, or at least Yuya thinks so, because the next moment, Reiji presses a button on his keyboard. The windows darken, then brighten to show a diagram of the four dimensions, each one linked to another with a blue line.

“We’ve successfully had testers jump to all worlds, and we’ve been able to share data between the LDS locations in all dimensions. However, because Xyz and Pendulum have been stable the longest, I would have you go there first, through a dimensional tunnel. Gradually traveling will be easier to monitor than jumping, and we think it would be less dangerous. As for whether or not you come back at once: That is based on what situation arises. Ideally, I would have you stay there for a time. Perhaps visit Yuto, so we can check what occurs in dimensional space when you are in proximity.” Reiji adjusts his glasses. “You could use the opportunity to…catch up.”

Yuya feels his cheeks flame up. “Just—w-when do you want me to go?”

“So, you’ll do it?”

“Of course!”

“There’s no way to know what may happen to you.”

“I don’t care!” Yuya snaps, standing, slapping his hands on the desk. “I’ve been waiting six years do to this. I have to see everyone… See him.”

Reiji nods, a small smile on his lips. “I expected such a response, to be quite honest.” He holds out his hand. “Your duel disk, if you will. I’ll pre-load it with current information on Heartland and modify it to be able to jump in the event of an emergency, unless I give you permission otherwise.”

Yuya quickly hands over his duel disk. Reiji inputs a command into the computer, and then a slot opens up next to it, where he inserts Yuya’s duel disk. “This process should not take more than a few minutes. Now, when would you like to go?”

Yuya blinks. “You mean I’m not going now?”

“That is possible, yes,” Reiji says. “But I would give you time to tell your friends and family, should you not be able to return for a while.”

That gives Yuya pause, but only for a moment. He thinks about his parents, and Yuzu, Sora, Gongenzaka, even Mieru and little Reira—and he knows exactly what they would all say.

“There’s no way I’m waiting any longer,” Yuya says.

Reiji nods, seeming satisfied. “I will let them know what has transpired if you are gone—at the very least—overnight, then. I do not predict you to have any trouble, however.” A small chime sounds, and he turns back to his computer, reading from the screen. “…Ah,” he says after a moment.

Yuya frowns. “What?”

“Simply a theory of mine seems to have been confirmed,” Reiji says. “Your card Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon is giving off a wavelength identical to what we have been seeing in this links between the dimensions. The cards you shared with your counterparts have been helping to stabilize space, I would wager.”

“…Really?” Yuya remembers Yuto’s gentle, soft fingers touching his as he gave him Rebellion, and Yuya gave him Raging in return. Warmth fills his chest at the thought that Yuto’s generosity and love may be helping them to reunite sooner. It makes him smile.

Reiji cocks his head. “Yuya?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you all right?”

Yuya blinks, and then his vision blurs, and there are tears falling down his cheeks. But if anything, his smile only widens.

“I’m fine,” he says, laughing and wiping at an eye. “I’m fine.”

Almost imperceptibly, Reiji shifts his weight. “…Do you need a…tissue?”

And that just makes Yuya laugh even more. "No, no. I'm fine." He absolutely grins, his cheeks wet and shiny. "I'm wonderful."

There’s another chime, and Reiji takes out Yuya’s duel disk before holding it out to him. “Well, if you are all right… then let us proceed.”

**_Two Years Ago_ **

“It’s late,” Shun says when Yuto walks through the door. He’s leaning on the wall at the corner, where the entry meets the hallway.

“I know,” Yuto says, not meeting Shun’s eyes. He leans down to wrench off his sweat-soaked, dirt-stained sneakers. “And what time did _you_ come home?” he tries to joke. This isn’t the first time that Shun’s come over to his apartment unannounced—he and Ruri have keys—but it is the third time in the last week.

“A bit late for dinner, but still in time to enjoy it with Ruri.” Shun’s arms are crossed, and Yuto can feel his heavy gaze. “She’s staying over, too. She’s in the spare room.”

“Are there leftovers?” Yuto asks, peeling off his jacket to hang on the coatrack. He misses the first time, and he frowns and tries again.

“Of course,” Shun says. “But that’s not the point.”

“What about the bath? Did you empty it?”

“Yuto—”

Yuto pushes past him, crossing the small hallway and moving into the kitchen. He bumps into the table, stumbling and making the wood clatter against the tile floor. He hisses, rubbing at his hip, but opens the fridge.

“Yuto, you can’t keep coming home this late,” Shun says, following him into the kitchen.

“It’s my apartment,” Yuto argues, still not looking at him.

“Nii-san is right.” Ruri, clad in a nightgown, emerges from the guest room and comes to stand beside her brother in the doorway. “You keep working yourself too hard, Yuto.”

Yuto pulls a couple of containers of out the fridge—one filled with rice and katsu chicken, the other filled with curry. “There isn’t much left to finishing the park,” he says. His vision flickers black, and he blinks. “…I’m really close.”

“Yuto, you know that’s no excuse,” Ruri argues. “You need—”

Yuto drops the containers. The lids pop off, chunks of katsu and rice scattering onto the floor, while the curry splatters everywhere, even on Yuto’s feet. He frowns down at the mess, puzzled, not even comprehending the clatter it made.

“Not the curry,” he mutters, and then, all at once, he hears Ruri scream and sees Shun rushing toward him, but the floor coming up to meet him is faster.

()

A steady beep sounds in Yuto’s ears. He groans just slightly and opens his eyes, then squints, the lights—as dim as they are—reflecting off the white walls and sheets, making his head pound. There’s an IV in his arm and a monitor next to his bed, glowing with an awful black-and-green light.

“Yuto?”

He turns his head, but his neck his sore, and he can only move so much. Shun and Ruri—still in her nightgown—sit in chairs at his bedside. They both look off and disheveled, bags heavy under their eyes. Regardless of how tired they appear, they both stand up at once, coming closer to his side.

“Are you in pain?” Ruri asks.

“N-no,” Yuto says, coughing. “Just sore.”

“Here,” Shun says, holding out a cup, and Yuto just barely has the strength to take it from him and drink the water without aid. It helps that the bed is angled upwards.

“Do you know where you are?” Shun asks when Yuto hands him back the cup, and Yuto begrudgingly nods.

“…The hospital, right?”

Ruri sighs, trying to smile, but it’s sad and painful. “Yes. You passed out in the kitchen, Yuto. You hit your head on the floor.”

“The doctor said it’s a concussion,” Shun adds. “Luckily not a terrible one. But you’re still going to stay here.”

Yuto frowns. “But there’s only—”

“ _Shut up, Yuto_!”

Yuto starts, blinking, and stares at Ruri. Tears pour of out of her eyes, plopping off her chin and onto the bedsheets. Her hands are in fists.

“You’ve been working like this for weeks,” she says. “We barely see you anymore!” She grits her teeth and wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand, but that doesn’t stop the flood. “I understand, Yuto. I get why you want to work so hard and why you want to live alone. We all want to rebuild, and me and Shun—we want to see Yuya and everyone else, too. But you can’t do this to yourself—and you can’t do this to us, either. It’s not okay.”

Yuto bites his lip. “…I’m sorry, Ruri. Shun.” He looks down at his hands. “I just…couldn’t stop.”

“Just—don’t do it ever again!” Ruri snaps. She glares at him with her wet, red-rimmed eyes. “Promise us.”

Yuto can’t look away from her gaze—it sucks him in. It honestly terrifies him. _I did this to her. To Shun, too._ “…I promise. I’m so sorry.”

She sniffs, then rubs at her eyes. She takes a step back. “I’m going—to get something to eat,” she says, then turns on her heel and hurries out of the room.

Shun shifts nervously, staring at the door. “…She was holding that in for a while, you know.”

Yuto grimaces. He can feel tears welling in his own eyes, and his throat feels like it’s closing in on itself. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Shun lets out a long sigh. “I know.” He reaches out and puts a hand on Yuto’s shoulder. “We’re your family, you know. We’re always going to worry about you. And we’ll be there for you. But you can’t distance yourself like that again, okay?”

Yuto’s hands tremble. “I’m sorry.”

“Yuto…” Shun shakes his head. “I know. But it’s okay.”

He pauses. “…Do you mean that?”

“Mean what?”

“About…us being a family.”

Shun blinks once, twice, three times. “Yuto, what the hell? Of course—what? Why would you even question that?”

Yuto looks away. “… It’s hard to explain,” he whispers. His hand wanders up to grip at the fabric of his hospital gown, right above his heart. He can feel his locket against his chest, and the presence calms him, if just a little. “I’ve just felt so…distant from everyone. Since I was separated from Yuya.” He bites his lip. “That’s why I moved out.”

“…I see.” Shun is silent for a moment. “Do you want to move back in?”

“No,” Yuto says at once, but he hesitantly meets Shun’s gaze and gives him a small smile. “But I will come over a lot more.”

Shun huffs, but he’s smiling, too. “Well, that’s a start. And you're always welcome.” He ruffles Yuto’s hair, careful to not be too rough. “I’m going to go check up on Ruri. Here,” he adds, putting Yuto’s deck on the bedside table. “The doctor said not to look at bright lights, so no duel disk. But I didn’t want you to get bored. Also,” he adds, smirking. “You’re pretty lucky you didn’t get curry all over your cards.”

That makes Yuto chuckle, although the movement makes him hurt a little. “Thanks, Shun.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Shun says, giving a small wave as he leaves the room.

Yuto smiles. Carefully, he takes the deck from the bedside table and goes through them one at a time. But then, he notices a soft warmth, and he sifts through the cards until he finds Odd-Eyes Raging. It’s glowing gently, soothingly, and Yuto pulls it close to his chest.

“Yuya?” he whispers, but the card doesn’t answer. Still, Yuto’s smile remains. “Sorry if I worried you, too.”

()()()

Yuya’s eyes snap open, and he stares up at the ceiling. The dark of the night surrounds him, but from his desk, there’s a pulsing glow.

He sits straight up and grabs his deck, shuffling through the cards until he finds Odd-Eyes Rebellion.

“Yuto?” he whispers, holding the card close to look at it. His heart pounds in his chest. He lays back down on his side, keeping a hard grip on the card with his thumb and forefinger. _Please be okay, Yuto,_ he thinks over and over. _I love you so much._

He can’t tell how much time passes, but eventually, the pulsing slows, becoming more muted and soft. It’s warm, even. Relief sweeps through Yuya, and he sighs, closing his eyes.

When the morning comes, he wonders if it had all just been a dream.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very big thank you to @nierza for helping me bounce around cute ideas for these two
> 
> and even bigger thank you again to @blue-needle for letting me write fic of her AU ;A; seriously, all the art you've been sending me really really helps, haha. if any readers have questions about the AU, @blue-needle's the person to go to, really. ALSO SHE DID THE ART. SHE DID. THE ART. AAAAA
> 
> this fic was pretty short, but I'm really glad it came out this way c: I might add more to this AU as a series in the future. I definitely want to add a sort of "bonus chapter" for this at some point... Yuya and Yuto are too cute not to do that.
> 
> also a big thank you to you for reading! I'm glad people seemed to really like this. it was a blast to write.

**_Now_ **

Yuya emerges from the dimensional tunnel, and his first thought is that he must still be in Pendulum. Like the room he just left, this one is filled with people in lab coats, sitting at computer stations or checking information on tablets, talking to each other about data this, data that. But the key difference is that Reiji isn’t there, and his duel disk reads out _XYZ ACHIEVED._

A woman in a lab coat comes up to him and bows. “Sakaki Yuya, a pleasure. Everything appears to be stable right now, but for extra security, we ask that you wait while we analyze the data from your transport. Please, follow me. You’ll be more comfortable while you wait.”

Yuya thinks he’s too nervous and excited to be _comfortable_ anywhere unless he’s scouring the city for Yuto, but he forces himself to nod and follow the woman out of the room. He promised Reiji he would “act responsibly,” anyway, even if it feels like his insides are twisting in every direction.

The woman leads him into a hallway and to an elevator, pressing the button to call for the car to bring them upward. They emerge on the twentieth floor, and the woman extends her hand to usher Yuya into the room.

“If you need anything, please use the telephone on the wall,” she says. “I will be back soon.”

“Thank you,” Yuya says as he walks into the room. It’s large and spacious, with long leather couches and tile floors. He feels like he walked into the Akaba residence again. On the walls are paintings and photographs of what must have been the original city, filled with lights and towers spiraling upwards into the starry sky. The outer two walls are made up entirely of windows, showing the city as it is now. Yuya hesitates, then hurries over.

The sky is a clear blue, shining sunlight down onto the clean, wide streets. There are other finished, tall buildings around him, but several in view are still being constructed, with huge cranes rising up to meet them. Apartment complexes dart the area, sometimes in large clusters—there seem to be a lot of them over by a large, flourishing park. In the far distance, there are some grey shapes, and it takes Yuya a moment to realize that that area must be a part of Heartland that hasn’t been remade yet.

He turns his eyes downward toward the streets. There are people everywhere, workers in construction hats, kids with backpacks—although there are no yellow kindergarten hats in sight, like Yuya so often sees in Maiami—and people in business suits and casual clothes. He squints, looking for lavender or dark purple or dark green, but at this height, it’s difficult to make out colors that aren’t bright.

Yuya leans his forehead on the cool glass, sighing, his breath fogging up in front of him.

A thought pops into his head, and his takes out his duel disk, pulling up the information Reiji downloaded for him. He opens the map application and it shows him the entirety of the city’s layout, even the large outside ring labeled _PROJECT ZONES_. He taps on the list option, then scrolls through the numerous shops and businesses and—

_Wild Card Duel School_.

Yuya blinks, then taps on the name. A circle appears on the screen, and then a moment later, there’s a route outlined between his location and the duel school.

“Please be there,” Yuya murmurs. He locks the screen and pockets the duel disk, then continues to look out at the expanding city and its residents, searching with his eyes.

()

It’s half an hour before the woman comes back, and Yuya hasn’t moved from his spot by the window. He whips around when she enters.

“Well?” he asks. “What’s going on?”

“Wavelengths from your Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon increased in number during your journey,” she says. “But rather than causing any sort of imbalance, they seem to have helped stabilize your crossing instead. Akaba-sama has given you free reign to act as you see fit for the moment; however, he asks for you to keep your duel disk on you at all times in case we need to give you instructions.”

Yuya starts to walk toward the elevator before she’s even finished speaking. “I’m going into the city, then,” he says.

The woman steps back, startled, but recovers quickly. “Of course. I’ll take you to the lobby.”

She leads him into the elevator and presses the button for the ground floor. Yuya stands with one hand gripped around his duel disk and the other holding his pendulum.

_Yuto_ , he thinks. _Just wait for me a little longer, please. I’m coming._

The elevator doors open, and Yuya just barely remembers to say “thank you” before he bolts for the exit. He emerges out onto the wide sidewalk, straight into the afternoon crowd. He stops, turning around, taking in the buildings and people around him. He hurries to unlock his duel disk and open up the map again. Once he finds his bearings, he hurries on his way toward the duel school. It isn’t until he’s several blocks away that he realizes he could have asked the woman if she knew how to find Yuto. _Surely LDS would know where he is…_

He stops at once, looking backward and then checking his route, and then he looks back again. He’s almost halfway to the duel school, and—

“Yuya?”

Yuya blinks and turns. At first, his eyes pass over the crowd, but then he jumps, his mouth falling open. “Ruri? Your—your hair…”

Ruri stands shorter than Yuzu does by several inches, and in the past six years, her face seems to have grown just a bit rounder. She stares at him, her pink eyes wide, and then a moment later she’s laughing. “That’s the first thing you say?” she asks, running her fingers through her shoulder-length hair, her smile never fading.

“It’s… different,” Yuya stammers.

She laughs again, then grasps his wrist. “Come on, it’s crowded here,” she says, leading him out of the throng of people, over to an empty bench on the side to sit. “I cut it not long after we started the restoration project, by the way. It got in the way, and…well, we didn’t have much at first, even shampoo.”

Yuya waves his hands. “I, uh, didn’t mean it’s _bad_ or anything, you know,” he says, but that only makes her laugh more. She wraps her arms around him, and despite how confused he is at everything right now, Yuya’s quick to return the gesture.

“Nii-san acted the same way when he saw my hair for the first time,” Ruri says when she pulls away. “Yuto, too— _Yuto!_ ”

She grabs Yuya’s hands. “When did you get here, Yuya? Have you seen Yuto yet?”

“I just got here,” Yuya explains. His heart started to hammer when she said Yuto’s name, and he thinks he feels a little lightheaded. “I’m—I’m looking for him. I need to talk to him.”

Ruri pauses, staring hard into Yuya’s eyes. He tries not to shrink back. It feels like when Yuzu tries to scrutinize him after he tells a white lie, but somehow, this is even more stressful. Like Ruri is evaluating him.

“What do you want to talk to him about?” she asks.

Yuya knew what words were going to come out of her mouth, but still, he takes a second to steel himself, because he knows how important this is. “…I came to tell Yuto that I love him.”

Ruri’s eyes widen for a moment. Then, slowly, they narrow, and Yuya has to resist shivering because her stare is as harsh as Shun’s. “Do you mean that?”

Yuya nods. Without thinking, he grasps his pendulum. “I think I knew before you all had to leave, but… I was scared to admit it. I was scared to admit it and then maybe never see Yuto again. I was scared that he wouldn’t feel the same. So, when he told me… I couldn’t do anything.”

He shakes his head and looks away, and his stomach twists. “I made him wait so long—I don’t… I don’t know what he’ll say back, but I—I _need_ to tell him, to make it up to him. He doesn’t deserve what I did to him.”

A few moments pass, and Ruri touches Yuya’s shoulder, gaining his attention.

“When we first came back home through the tunnel,” she says, “Yuto was crying. He wouldn’t let go of the card you gave him. And when I asked him what exactly was making him so upset, do you know what he said?”

Yuya shakes his head.

“He said that he was sad to leave you. He’s told me what he said to you, and what happened, but he’s _never_ blamed you for not saying anything. He told me that day that he would wait for you forever if he had to, just to see you again to make sure that you were _happy_.” She blinks, her eyes becoming wet. “He even said ‘with or without’ him, one time.”

As Yuya stares at her, he realizes that his vision is blurry, and he wipes at his eyes. _Crying can wait_ , he thinks. _It can wait until I see him again._ “…Thank you for telling me that, Ruri.”

She smiles, then lifts her chin and slaps the top of her thighs. “Of course, what does all this mean coming from _me_ when you can hear it from Yuto himself? I’ll help you find him.”

Ruri jumps to her feet and reaches out a hand to help Yuya up. He smiles and accepts the offer, then asks, “Do you know where he’d be at by now?”

She grins. “Oh, I think I do. Come on, I have an idea,” she says, tugging on his arm and pulling him along. “I’ll bet you money that he’s at Sakaki Park.”

“Ah, that’s good to—” He pauses, frowning. “…’Sakaki Park’?”

()()()

Dark Rebellion starts to glow in Yuto’s hand.

A sudden chill runs through his veins. “What,” he mutters, because it hasn’t glowed in six years. He pulls out Odd-Eyes Raging, but it stopped glowing over an hour ago. He looks back and forth between the two cards, blinking, wondering if he’s got them mixed up, or if his eyes are working. Or if his brain is working.

“Yuto?”

Yuto tears his gaze away and looks behind him. Ruri stands there at the top of the stairs, smiling and holding her hands behind her back.

“Ruri…” Making a quick decision not to worry her, Yuto pockets his cards into the rest of his deck. He stands and walks up the few stairs to meet her.

“A little early to find you here,” Ruri says.

He rubs the back of his neck. “Just some stuff on my mind. I’m having trouble coming up with ideas for my next project.”

Ruri frowns. “You’re not—?”

“—working myself too hard?” he finishes, the smallest of smiles lighting his face. “No, Ruri. I’m not.”

“Well, good,” she says. She pulls out her duel disk and unlocks it, but doesn’t look away from him. “You know, maybe you need a day off or something. I’ll message Edo and Kaito, tell them you’ll be staying home tomorrow.”

Yuto frowns. “Ruri, you don’t have to do that. I’m not lying to you when I say that I’m—”

Ruri sticks the camera end of her duel disk up, a bit close to Yuto’s face, and he takes a step back.

“Ruri, are you trying to surprise me with a vacation or something?” he asks, perplexed, but she just smiles and hides a giggle.

“No, not a vacation.”

Yuto’s brows furrow. “Then what—?”

_“Ladies and gentlemen!”_

Yuto whips around. His mouth falls open, and instantly, his eyes fill with tears.

There on the stage is Yuya, standing atop Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

Yuya extends his arms, beaming out at the stands even though no one else is there. “Today, we celebrate a special day: I, Sakaki Yuya, have returned to Heartland! A special day requires a special performance, don’t you think?” He winks. “So for today, I’ll need some help from a member of the audience.”

Yuto stares, and the tears slide down his cheeks. He can’t move. He can’t breathe—the air catches in his swollen throat and he wonders, _Is this a dream?_

“Yuto,” Ruri says, but he can’t look away from Yuya. She gives him a gentle push. “Go get on that stage!”

Yuto finally finds his breath, and he takes a single step down the stairs. Ruri gives him another push, and he quickens his pace all at once, stumbling as he rushes but thankfully not falling. He wipes at the unending tears streaming from his eyes, trying to keep a clear view, afraid that he’ll blink and Yuya will disappear.

As Yuto gets closer, Yuya somersaults off Odd-Eyes, landing lightly on the stage. “It looks like we have a volunteer! Odd-Eyes, would you be so kind as to give our guest a hand—or a tail?”

The monster cries out happily and shuffles on its big legs over to the side of the stage, then turns around and lowers its tail. Yuto scrambles on, trying not to fall flat on his face as he climbs. He hurries onto the stage, moving toward Yuya, mere feet away—and then he stops short.

Tears pool in Yuya’s eyes even as he smiles.

“Yuya?” he says, voice catching in his throat, and all he can think is _Please don’t let this be a dream…_

He inches closer, reaching out his hand, and Yuya comes forward and takes it. He’s warm and solid and Yuto can feel him trembling—or is Yuto trembling himself? He can’t tell.

“Hi, Yuto,” Yuya breathes out. His ruby-red eyes are so wet, his smiling flickering away, and all Yuto wants to do is wipe away the unshed tears, but he can’t bring himself to move.

“How did…” Yuto’s struggling again to breathe. “Why…?”

And Yuya takes his other hand too, holding them close to his chest, and he looks up— _up_ —into Yuto’s eyes, and Yuto thinks _How did I get taller than him?_ even though it’s just by a few inches, before he realizes that _Yuya is holding his hands_ and looking right at him, opening his mouth—

“I love you, too,” Yuya whispers, and Yuto realizes that this isn’t a dream.

“Yuya,” he murmurs, and he pulls his hands away to wrap one around Yuya’s waist, placing the other on Yuya’s jaw. Yuya smiles even as tears start to fall from his eyes, and Yuto kisses that smile.

Yuya’s lips taste like salt—or maybe that’s from Yuto’s tears, too—but his mouth is warm and smooth. Yuto closes his eyes and loses himself in the feeling, opening his mouth wider to try to feel even closer. Yuya reciprocates at once, even wrapping his arms around Yuto, clinging to him. It’s wonderful and soft but desperate, and Yuto can barely tell where he ends and Yuya begins.

The need for air becomes too much, and Yuto pulls away, panting, but then leans his forehead on Yuya’s, stroking his cheek with his thumb and wiping away some of his tears.

Yuya sighs, closing his eyes for a moment and leaning back into him. When he opens his eyes again, a small laugh escapes him. “I take it you still love me?”

“I’ve always loved you,” Yuto murmurs, and suddenly, Yuya’s grip on him tightens.

“I’m sorry I took so long,” Yuya chokes out. “I just—I felt the same way, but I was just so scared that you didn’t—that I’d never see you, or—”

Yuto embraces him, clutching onto him for dear life. “I’m sorry,” he says, pressing his face into Yuya’s neck. “I worried all the time that what I said kept you from—from being happy. I shouldn’t have done that—”

“No!” Yuya pulls back, placing his hands on Yuto’s cheeks and meeting his gaze. “I missed you so much that it hurt sometimes—it hurt a lot of times, but—but still, knowing you loved me made me so happy…”

“…That makes no sense,” Yuto says helplessly, but he’s smiling. He puts a hand on Yuya’s and leans into the touch. “But I think I understand.”

“ _That_ makes no sense,” Yuya laughs, and he pulls Yuto into another kiss, smiling all the while. It still tastes like salt, it’s still wet, but somehow, it’s the warmest thing that Yuto’s ever felt.

Odd-Eyes calls out, and Yuya and Yuto pull away from each other, just enough to look at the dragon. It whines and leans down, pointing its snout at Yuto. He shares a glance with Yuya, who nods, and Yuto grins as he starts up his duel disk, pulling a card from his deck and placing it down.

Dark Rebellion appears, and Yuto can’t help but instinctively reach up toward his chest—Yuya does, too. But when the dragons call out to each other it’s with a playful kind of banter.

And there’s no pain.

Yuya laughs, and he grabs another card from his deck and puts it down. Odd-Eyes Rebellion appears, and when Yuya reaches out, it roars and leans down for Yuya to pet its snout.

“It helped me get here,” Yuya says, and he nudges Yuto. “Raging, too.”

Yuto blinks, realization slowly dawning in him even if he doesn’t know the details. He pulls out Odd-Eyes Raging and sets it down. When it appears, it roars, and the other dragons crowd around it excitedly—Yuya and Yuto need to back up a bit to avoid wagging tails as the dragons start to fly around the stadium.

Yuya’s laughing, and he pulls Yuto close again—and Yuto can’t help but laugh, too.

And then, his duel disk buzzes, as does Yuya’s. They glance at each other.

“It might be Ruri,” Yuya says. “We exchanged contact info.”

Yuto looks back up into the stands, but Ruri is nowhere to be seen. He opens up the messages on his duel disk, and there’s a new one at the top of the list, addressed to the both of them:

_Please go out on a date already. Have fun. And Yuto, don’t worry about work. I’ve got you covered._

Ruri’s message makes Yuto’s cheeks heat up. He glances at Yuya, whose skin is dusted pink as he reads off of Yuto’s disk. But then he leans against Yuto’s arm, and slowly, his fingers interlace with his, and it gives Yuto the courage to speak up.

“…She has a point,” he says, squeezing Yuya’s hand. “Most couples don’t say ‘I love you’ _before_ the first date.”

Yuya’s lips curl up, reminding Yuto of a cat. “‘Couples’?”

Yuto flushes an even deeper shade of red. “I mean—if you…if you want to, I wouldn’t—”

Yuya leans up to peck Yuto’s lips, silencing him. “…Can I pick the place?”

“…Anywhere,” Yuto breathes, unable to look away from Yuya’s eyes.

The grin comes back. “Well, Ruri told me about this nice place called _Sakaki Park_ …”

()()()

Yuto’s hand is warm in Yuya’s. As they walk, he can’t help but lean into Yuto, relishing in the feeling of being with him, touching him, loving him and being loved by him. He closes his eyes for a moment, breathing in. _I’ve finally found you again._

“There’s a grove of peach trees over there,” Yuto says, pointing, and Yuya opens his eyes again to look. Sure enough, over a small rise, there’s rows of short trees with bright pink blossoms. “The other side has apple trees. I wanted to make sure the park was relaxing but also useful in other ways.”

“It’s so nice here,” Yuya says, squeezing his hand. “I’m proud of you.”

Yuto doesn’t answer for a moment. “…Do you mean that?”

Yuya frowns and looks up at Yuto’s face. He’s looks away, but Yuya can see him biting his lip.

Yuya tugs on Yuto to get him to stop walking, then touches his cheek, turning his face so that their eyes meet. “Why wouldn’t I mean that?”

“I almost…” Yuto cuts himself off. “…I worked so hard on this that I didn’t spend as much time with Shun and Ruri as I should’ve. I… collapsed toward the end of the project, too.”

Yuya’s eyes widen. “Why would you do that to yourself?”

“…I’m still not completely sure,” Yuto says. He sighs. “Maybe Shun was right, and I just wanted to impress you. But I was also… lonely, I guess. I felt…empty, sometimes. I don’t know. It didn’t feel like something I could talk about, either, so I moved out.”

“Yuto…” Yuya strokes his cheek, not sure what else he can do. “I’m still proud of what you’ve accomplished, but that wasn’t okay.”

Yuto nods. “I know,” he says, his voice hoarse. “I promised I wouldn’t ever do it again.”

“Good,” Yuya whispers. He pauses. “I think I understand what you mean, though. About how you felt. I think I…”

He trails off, looking down and away. He bites his lip.

Yuto stiffens. “What’s wrong?”

“…Sometimes I would see couples,” Yuya mutters. He clutches onto Yuto’s shirt. “And I would think, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to go on a date with someone? To hold hands?’ And I was so lonely—I missed you so much—that I would consider it… I felt empty during those times.” He looks up suddenly, meeting Yuto’s gaze. “But I never did anything. It never felt okay, or right… And I hated myself for thinking that way…”

Yuto wraps him in a hug, pulling him close and squeezing tightly. “It’s okay, Yuya. I understand. I wouldn’t have been upset if you did, you know. I just wanted you to be happy.”

Yuya nods against his chest. “I know, but I wanted to be happy with you. I still want that.”

“…Hey.” Yuto tugs on his hand and pulls away, making him look up, and Yuto is smiling again. “Come on. There’s a place I want to show you.”

Yuya nods, grateful for the change of topic, and stays right by Yuto’s side as Yuto leads him along the path. They make a couple of turns, Yuto pointing out everything worthwhile, and Yuya asking him about everything else. It’s almost a ten-minute walk, but finally, Yuto leads him into a clearing. Benches dot shady patches of grass and the stone pathway that circles around a large fountain, water bubbling into the air as elegantly as it slides back down over the curved stone. It’s simple compared to the ones Yuya’s seen in Maiami, but it’s no less beautiful.

“Oh…!” Yuya’s eyes light up and he takes a step forward, although he still doesn’t let go of Yuto’s hand. “This is amazing!”

“Thank you,” Yuto says softly. “It’s my second-favorite place in the park.”

“Heh.” Yuya looks back and squeezes his hand. “What’s the stage got over this place?”

“…The stage reminds me more of you, for one thing,” Yuto murmurs, and Yuya wonders if his face will ever _not_ flame up at something so sweet—and cheesy—coming from Yuto’s mouth. “Since we met at that one in Maiami.”

Yuya comes closer and rests his head against Yuto’s shoulder. “…Anything else?”

Yuto laughs and wraps his arms around Yuya’s waist. “Well…” He shuffles, a little quieter now. “…A lot of couples come here. I didn’t have anyone to bring with me.”

“…You do now,” Yuya says, looking up, and then something glints, catching his eye.

“I do,” Yuto says, smiling. But then he blinks, watching as Yuya fingers the gold chain around his neck and pulls it out. At the end of the chain is a locket, clamped tightly closed.

“Swapped out the choker for this?” Yuya says, grinning, and Yuto goes red. “Can I look?”

Yuto shifts. “I—yes, but—uh…”

Yuya’s brows furrow. “What? If you don’t want me to see, that’s fine.”

“I just—it’s fine, go ahead, I’m just…” Yuto fumbles for words.

Yuya frowns, but thumbs over the locket, turning the latch. There’s a small, blurry picture inside, but Yuya can make out the red and green of his hair, and the curve of his smile.

“It—it wasn’t my idea,” Yuto says. He’s speaking so fast that his words jumble together. “I would’ve asked permission. But Ruri took pictures of everyone at the end of everything, remember? And she had it made for me, about a year after everything. I just—we didn’t have much at the time, I couldn’t believe it, and I couldn’t—”

“It’s fine, Yuto,” Yuya says.

“—just take the locket and reuse it for something else—”

“Yuto,” Yuya repeats. “It’s fine.”

Yuto stumbles over his words to a stop. His cheeks are red. “…Really?”

Yuya nods, smiling as he holds the locket in his palm. “I think it’s sweet.” He pauses, blushing a little. “I mean, yeah. I would’ve liked to know you had my picture.” Then, he’s blushing a lot. “…I would’ve liked to have a picture of you.”

“I’ll get you one,” Yuto says at once, and Yuya laughs before he leans against Yuto’s chest again.

“You can have a newer, better picture of me,” he says. “One not so blurry.”

“Thank you,” Yuto says, kissing Yuya’s forehead. He reaches up a hand and runs his fingers through Yuya’s hair, and Yuya sighs.

Yuya raises the locket back up into view. He rubs his thumb over it, turns it over in his hand. He grows quiet. After a moment, Yuto goes still as well.

Yuya takes a shaky breath, emotion welling up inside him. Yuto’s fingers move to his cheek and jaw, tilting his head up, and when Yuya sees how his grey eyes water, he can tell that Yuto is thinking the same thing.

“You waited,” Yuya whispers. “All this time…for me.”

Yuto smiles, holding back his tears. “And you waited for me.”

Yuya’s eyes flutter closed as he meets Yuto’s lips. It’s gentle and slow, soft, lingering. Neither pull apart—Yuya can’t bear to.

But eventually, Yuto rests his forehead on Yuya’s and strokes his cheek, giving him another tender kiss before he says, “I wrote you letters almost every day.”

Yuya opens his eyes slowly, taking in the words—and then he sputters, trying to hold back a laugh but failing miserably. Yuto rears back, startled, and Yuya holds everything in long enough to give him a reassuring peck on the lips before he starts laughing again.

“Sorry, Yuto, I just—” He takes a breath and he smiles. “I did the same thing.”

Yuto blinks. “You did?”

Yuya nods. “Maybe a week after you left I started. I mean, they started off more like notes than letters, but that—well, for that first bit I was too upset to go to school,” he admits, scratching his cheek. “So I wrote to you a lot then. And it just kept going.”

Yuto’s face goes a little pink. “I didn’t start until months later.”

“You were busy rebuilding. What am I gonna do, blame you for not sending me a letter every day?”

“You have a point,” Yuto admits. “…Speaking of school, you _did_ go back, right?”

Yuya winks. “Graduated and everything.”

Yuto brightens and kisses Yuya’s forehead. “I’m so proud of you.”

“…Thanks,” Yuya says, feeling warmth pool everywhere in his body, a sheepish grin forming on his lips. “My parents have a ton of pictures, if you want to see them sometime.”

“I’d love to see them.”

Yuya opens his mouth to say something, but then, his stomach absolutely _roars_.

Yuto breaks out into laughter, and Yuya hides his flaming face in the crook of Yuto’s neck and shoulder. “It _is_ getting late,” Yuto says, stroking Yuya’s hair, and Yuya peeks at the sky to see that it is indeed streaked with the pinks, oranges, and purples of sunset. “I can make you something if you want. I’ve gotten pretty good at cooking, you know.”

Yuya’s stomach growls again. “Please feed me,” he begs, pulling away and taking Yuto’s hand.

Yuto laughs and entwines their fingers, then starts to lead Yuya along. “You’ve got to tell me everything about how you got here. And—wait,” he says, frowning. “Are you going back tonight? Or do you have a place to stay?”

Yuya shakes his head. “No. All I thought about was coming to see you—I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“Yuya…” Yuto smiles helplessly. “You need to think about these things.”

“I couldn’t wait another minute,” Yuya admits. He leans his head against Yuto’s. “I had to see you.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m not happy,” Yuto replies. He squeezes Yuya’s hand. “…You can stay with me, if you want.”

Yuya smiles. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

**_The Next Morning_ **

The alarm clock blares, loud beeps filling the bedroom. Yuto groans and sits up, just enough to reach out and turn it off. He squints at the screen, the red numbers angrily declaring _APRIL 27 6:00AM._

_When was the last time I wasn’t up before the alarm?_ he wonders, confused, too sleepy to comprehend anything. He doesn’t even remember dreaming.

He’s about to get up when a pair of arms curl around his waist, a warm body at his back. He freezes, his eyes widening as he turns his head around to find a messy mop of red and green beside him.

Yuya’s squeezing his eyes shut. “M’re sleep,” he murmurs. “D’n leave…”

Yuto breathes out, his expression softening. He turns over, careful of Yuya’s arms, and then pulls Yuya close to his chest. Yuya groans something unintelligible and snuggles up against him, his lips curling into a smile.

Yuto kisses his forehead. “I’m not going anywhere,” he whispers, then closes his eyes, falling back asleep.


End file.
